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RWB CELEBRATES MASTER CHOREOGRAPHER
(April 16, 2008; Winnipeg, Manitoba) Canada’s Royal Winnipeg Ballet celebrates renowned choreographer George Balanchine in a performance devoted solely to the genius’ work. The RWB presents All Balanchine!, the finale of the Company’s 68th season, at Centennial Concert Hall May 7 – 11.
All Balanchine! marks the first time the RWB has presented a Balanchine-only program and features Serenade, Concerto Barocco and The Four Temperaments, pure dance pieces with dramatic overtones.
The Artists
GEORGE BALANCHINE is regarded as the foremost contemporary choreographer in the world of ballet. With over 425 works, his creative repertoire is as extensive as it is diverse. His work is attributed to the successful fusion of modern ideas melded with classical ballet. Balanchine himself wrote, "The choreographer and the dancer must remember that they reach the audience through the eye. It's the illusion created which convinces the audience, much as it is with the work of a magician." His celebrated originality and simplicity are trademarks of his work which changed the dance world forever.
Staging all three Balanchine ballets for RWB is Guest Balanchine Répétiteur JOYSANNE SIDIMUS. As a dancer, Ms Sidimus studied under George Balanchine at the School of American Ballet before joining the choreographer’s New York City Ballet. She subsequently performed as a soloist with London’s Festival Ballet and as a principal dancer with Pennsylvania Ballet and The National Ballet of Canada. One of contemporary ballet’s most respected and knowledgeable authorities on the work of George Balanchine, Ms Sidimus’ extensive and intimate understanding of his choreography has led her to stage them for ballet companies all over the world. In addition to her work as a guest répétiteur, Ms Sidimus is the founder of the Dancer Transition Resource Centre and an author.
The Works
The haunting Serenade, is a dance in the light of the moon. This dance was the first work Balanchine created upon arriving in America and is considered by many to be his masterpiece. Created for students at the newly formed School of American Ballet, Serenade has since become the signature piece of New York City Ballet. A powerful, haunting work, filled with images of lyric meditation, Serenade emphasizes in melodic visual terms Tchaikovsky's ravishing score, ‘Serenade in C Major for String Orchestra.’
In the neoclassical Concerto Barocco, Balanchine's precise, inventive choreography for ten women and one man is a vivid interpretation of Bach's ‘Concerto for Two Violins in D Minor.’ The piece exemplifies the American classical style in its extraordinary poetry, pristine beauty and musicality.
This production marks the RWB premiere of the groundbreaking masterpiece The Four Temperaments set to Paul Hindemith’s ‘The Four Temperaments: Theme with Four Variations for String Orchestra and Piano.’ Choreographed in 1946, The Four Temperaments is one of Balanchine’s first experimental works, defying conventions of classical ballet. Sub-titled ‘A Dance Ballet Without Plot,’ the ballet was inspired by a medieval belief that a person’s mood, emotion and behaviour are caused by body fluids (humours), a theory that originated in ancient times by Hippocrates (460-370 BC). Each temperament parallels characteristics of one of the four classical elements (earth, air, water and fire) and reflects patterns in nature. The ballet’s four movements are named after each temperament: melancholic (from black bile), sanguinic (from blood), phlegmatic (from phlegm) and choleric (from yellow bile). The high speed choreography features abrupt shifts, angular styles and extreme contrasts
“He was the master of the 21st century in creating a whole new movement language,” says Sidimus. “If you look at The Four Temperaments, it was created so long ago and it looks brand new; it looks as if the movement language was invented yesterday. The technique that he invented was very purposeful, because he felt very strongly that you dance as the composer would wish the music written. There’s no distortion. It’s not an accompaniment. You are dancing to the music, and in many cases, such as Concerto Barocco, you’re being the music – you’re a literal representation of the score.
“He very much felt music should be played as it was intended. To do this, dancers had to move faster than they’d ever moved before. In the old days, they distorted music to the physical possibilities of the dancers. He felt that was backwards, so he invented a language which allows the dancers to dance as the composers would intend the music to be written, and that takes a whole different kind of approach and technique, and so there is a Balanchine technique, which is very specific.”
Events
An open rehearsal for All Balanchine! will be on Friday, May 2 at 7 pm in the Founders’ Studio at the RWB building. Reservations can be made by calling the RWB Customer Service Office at (204) 956-2792. Admission is free and seating is limited.
On Saturday, May 3 at 2 pm, McNally Robinson Grant Park will host An Information Session about Balanchine with Répétiteur and Author, Joysanne Sidimus.
A backstage tour will unveil the behind the scenes magic following the Thursday, May 8 evening performance. Following the Sunday, May 11 matinee, audience members may “Meet the Dancers” on the Piano Nobile, where RWB dancers will answer questions and sign autographs.
The Royal Winnipeg Ballet is proud to acknowledge All Balanchine! Performance Sponsors: Carlson Wagonlit Travel, TD Waterhouse, Air Canada; Performance Partners: Arnold Bros Transport and Beyond Flowers. These performances are also made possible with the support of the Canada Council for the Arts, the Manitoba Arts Council, the Winnipeg Arts Council and Arts Stabilization.
The RWB is also proud to acknowledge the generous support of The Four Temperaments Production Benefactors Robert T. Ross and Angela B. Ross.
Tickets are now on sale at the RWB Customer Service Office at 380 Graham Avenue or by calling (204) 956-2792 or 1-800-667-4792. Tickets are also available through Ticketmaster at www.ticketmaster.ca or by calling (204) 253-ARTS (2787).
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For more information or interviews, contact: Heather Saxton, RWB Publicity Manager at hsaxton@rwb.org or (204) 957-3447.
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